The present invention relates to a composition for use in a dishwasher.
Although modern dishwashers usually have a plurality of washing programs which differ in terms of the duration and temperature of the individual washing cycles, all essentially consist of the following basic steps: pre-rinse cycle, main washing cycle; one or more intermediate rinse cycles; a final rinse cycle; and drying. During the course of a dishwasher program, a series of products is metered into the dishwasher to assist the respective stage of the cycle. For example, the actual dishwasher detergent intended to provide the cleaning action is added at the start of the main washing cycle.
Special substances are used during the final rinse cycle, e.g. rinse agents. The purpose of rinse agents is to prevent drops of water from being left on the rinsed items as they are rinsed with water, which would otherwise leave behind specks of the substances dissolved/dispersed in the drops, in particular salts, after drying.
In addition to rinse agents, other substances may be used, which become active during the final rinse cycle, e.g. produce an anti-bacterial action (e.g. cationic compounds or triclosan), protect silver (e.g. benzotriazol), impart fragrance (fragrances, perfume), add bleaching/disinfecting action (e.g. chlorine bleaches), neutralize odors (e.g. polyvinyl pyrrolidone), means of removing deposits and enzymes (e.g. lipase for removing fatty deposits from the washed articles).
It is known that alkaline cleansing agent mixtures must be used in the dishwasher in conjunction with softened mains water to prevent lime scale on the machine parts and washed articles. Mains water is softened in the dishwasher by means of an ion exchange. A special device of the dishwasher must be regularly filled with salt, e.g. sodium chloride, in order to regenerate the ion exchanger.
If a dishwasher were to be operated without ion exchanger or without the onerous routine of topping up salt, it would be necessary to find an effective way of preventing lime scale or similar deposits.
One solution is to use an acid mixture of cleaning agents. This being the case, it will be possible to operate with hard mains water and dispense with the use of an ion exchanger in the dishwasher altogether, which would then obviate the need to top up the regenerating salt. The pH value of this cleanser would cause a shift in the carbonate-bicarbonate equilibrium so that bicarbonate, which does give rise to said deposits, would predominate. German patent specification DE 38 33 047 C2, for example, describes a powdered, acid dishwasher agent with a base of non-ionic surfactants, the 0.5 to 0.7%-strength aqueous solution of which has a pH value of from 2 to 6 and renders the use of an ion exchanger superfluous. The builders used in this case are hydroxycarboxylic acids, e.g. citric acid, and the chelating agents nitrilo-triacetic acid (NTA) and ethylene diamine triacetic acid (EDTA). A significant disadvantage of this cleanser formula is the unsatisfactory cleaning power, which is attributable in particular to the lack of alkalinity, especially on starch-based dirt.
To date, it has not been possible to combine or unite the cleaning function, the functions of the substances added during the final rinse cycle and the function of preventing lime scale if using hard water and alkaline cleansing agents in one product in a manner which obviates the need for an ion exchanger and the associated regeneration thereof, while obtaining performance that is as consistent as possible with the results achievable by separate metering. The underlying aim of the present invention was to unite the three above-mentioned functions in a single product, so that the user is required to place the product in the dishwasher in a one-off dose only.
A dishwasher cleaning tablet is known from patent specification EP 0 851 024 A2, which is intended to enable a controlled release of the functional ingredients into the rinsing cycle. The tablet comprises two layers, the first layer generating a pH value of from 8.5 to 11 in the washing water on dissolving, and the second layer a pH value of from 6.5 to 9. With this two-layered tablet, it is allegedly possible to delay the dispensing of special ingredients, in particular an acid source, a deposit-removing agent and surface active substances, until the final rinse cycle of the dishwasher. This being the case, the components of the second layer are embedded in a continuous medium which does not melt to release the components until the final rinse cycle. This temperature-dependent system has not proven itself in practice, in particular because controlled release of the components of the second layer as late as the final rinse cycle does not work reliably because of the likewise high temperatures during the main washing cycle, thereby preventing satisfactory cleaning results. The temperature program most widely selected by European consumers operates at the same temperature during the main washing cycle as in the final rinse cycle. This causes the active substances to be released from the second layer prematurely. Furthermore, the waxes used as the base for the second layer often form residues in the machine and on the washed articles.
Against the background of the prior art outlined above, the underlying objective of the invention is to propose a composition which combines the cleaning function, the functions of the substances to be added during the final rinse cycle and the function of preventing lime scale if using hard water, these functions being activated at fixed times during a dishwasher rinse cycle, i.e. appropriate functional substances are released in a controlled manner during the dishwasher rinse cycle.
This objective is achieved by the invention in the form of an alternative to the generic composition, which is characterized by a base composition in the form of a tablet which becomes active substantially in the main washing cycle of the dishwasher; at least one region arranged separately in or on the tablet contains both at least one substance which is intended to become active substantially during the final rinse cycle of the dishwasher and at least one substance which prevents lime scale deposits in the dishwasher and/or on the washed articles; and means to ensure that at least the substance which is intended to become active substantially during the final rinse cycle of the dishwasher is not released, at least predominantly, until the start of the final rinse cycle at the earliest.
The substances in the separately arranged region may be mixed with one another.
By particular preference, the substances in the separately arranged region are divided into two part-regions, specifically so that the substance(s) intended to become active substantially in the final rinse cycle of the dishwasher is (are) in one part-region and the substance(s) intended to prevent lime scale deposits in the dishwasher and/or on the washed articles is (are) in the other part-region.
By particular preference, the region(s) has/have a core, essentially containing the substance intended to become active substantially during the final rinse cycle of the dishwasher; and a shell around this core contains the substance which prevents lime scale deposits in the dishwasher and/or on the washed articles.
A dividing layer that is substantially impermeable to the substances is preferably provided between the two part-regions.
By particular preference, the means (for preventing premature release of the final rinse substance) comprise an appropriate coating, containing at least one compound of which the solubility increases as the concentration of a specific ion in the ambient medium decreases.
In a second alternative, the objective of the invention is achieved by means of a generic composition, which is characterized by a base composition in the form of a tablet which is active in the main washing cycle of the dishwasher; two regions arranged separately in or on the tablet, of which a first region contains at least one substance intended to become active substantially in the final rinse cycle of the dishwasher and a second region containing at least one substance which prevents lime scale deposits in the dishwasher and/or on the washed articles; and respectively a coating essentially completely enclosing the regions and containing at least one compound, the solubility of which increases as the concentration of a specific ion in the ambient medium decreases.
For both alternatives, it is preferable to provide means to ensure that the substance(s) for preventing lime scale deposits in the dishwasher and/or on the washed articles is (are) at least partially released prior to the final rinse cycle.
The invention further proposes that an additional water-soluble protective coating be provided as the outermost layer.
Moreover, the substance for preventing lime scale deposits is a substance which is capable of forming a complex, in particular a substance selected from the group consisting of phosphonates and polymers, in which case the polymers are preferably polyacrylates or copolymers thereof.
Alternatively, the substance for preventing lime scale deposits is preferably a substance which shifts the carbonate/bicarbonate equilibrium in the washing medium towards bicarbonate, preferably an acid or an acid mixture. Preferably, it is an acid from the group of carboxylic acids, preferably fruit acids, in particular citric acid.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the coating contains at least one compound, of which the solubility increases and the pH value in the ambient medium falls as the OH ion concentration decreases.
The composition proposed by the invention is distinctive because it produces outstanding results, both in the main washing cycle and in the final rinse cycle of a dishwasher and also renders the use of an ion exchanger and the use of salt to regenerate it superfluous in most instances (at least in homes with a water hardness up to 35 EdH). The tablet is dissolved during the main washing cycle and can fulfil its intended function accordingly. The region(s) arranged separately on the tablet contain(s) substances with the desired other functions, namely the substance(s) for the final rinse cycle, e.g. rinse agent, on the one hand, and the substance(s) rendering the use of ion exchangers unnecessary.
The substances in the separately arranged region(s) may be protected by a coating, which is stable in the presence of the concentration of a specific ion, e.g. the OH ion, and hence at the prevailing pH value, and at the temperature of the main washing cycle and barely dissolves or disintegrates at all. Not until this concentration is significantly reduced by dilution, e.g. the pH value is shifted towards neutral or acid, i.e. at the earliest at the start of the final rinse cycle, does the solubility of the coating material reduce so sharply that it dissolves or disintegrates rapidly and releases the active core material into the ambient medium.
In addition, the substances may be protected by a component in the coating which has a so-called cloud point. These components are less soluble at high temperatures and afford protection against early release of active substances in applications at high temperatures in the cleaning cycle. Examples of substances with a cloud point of this type are celluloses, some polyacrylate derivatives, etc.
It is of particular benefit to protect any substance(s) which is (are) intended to become active substantially in the final rinse cycle of the dishwasher, such as a rinse agent, for example. This (these) substance(s) should therefore not be released, at least predominantly (i.e. up to more than 50%), until the start of the final rinse cycle. The substance(s) which prevent lime scale deposits in the dishwasher and/or on the washed articles may also be protected by an appropriate coating, for example, to prevent premature release so that this (these) substance(s) is (are) also not released until the final rinse cycle. In a preferred embodiment, however, the substance(s) preventing lime scale deposits is (are) released at an earlier point in time, i.e. prior to the start of the final rinse cycle, so that their action is not only released during the final rinse cycle but also for a longer time during the washing cycle.